Legal Problems and Solutions to Them – Discussed by a Minnesota Family Attorney

March 18, 2009

A MN Family Lawyer Talks Candidly About Divorce, a Will, and Estate Planning

OK, You Need a Divorce, a Will, or some Estate Planning, but…

This blog is difficult! Have you ever felt – or been – disappointed and disorganized, dull and depressed? I have!

After mulling this over this not-so-cosmic realization for a while it finally occurred to me that I’ve noticed a few interesting things lately, all of which can be summed up as “we are in crisis.” Well, some of us, perhaps many of us, are in a crisis. I don’t see this as basically anyone’s personal failing. I think the whole society is in a crisis. This may hit us personally in various ways – we need to change our will, set up a trust for our handicapped or flighty children, we need a divorce or a change in child support payments or alimony. It hits us in many ways, but it is objective, originating outside of us, and there’s not a lot we can do about the huge changes in our society right now. But, there are some things we can change for the better.

Legal Problems are Compounded When You Have the Blahs or the Blues

Look, you’re reading this because you’ve found the Moore Family Law blog on the Web and probably because you’re considering divorce, a will, or some other not-necessarily-pleasant life change, right? If you’re like many of the people we are seeing in our family law practice and in our trusts and estates practice this spring, you are justifiably angry, hurt, or both. Still, getting your life back on the right track is something you need to do, regardless of how you feel right now and regardless of whatever confusion and indecision you may be feeling right now.

So Get Off the Couch and…

May I offer a suggestion? Leap off the cliff and figure out on the way down how to invent the parachute. In short, do something, anything that needs to be done, no matter how minor it may be. Just do something. It’ll get you off the couch and open up your mind, your will power, and your emotions to tackle the bigger stuff – that divorce or estate plan I mentioned above.

Still with me? I’m talking from experience here. When I suddenly snap to the fact that I’m watching infomercials, for goodness’ sake, but then get up and do something productive, when I start to get energized, I suddenly discover that I’m more optimistic, active and happy; and I’m getting things done, too. The point isn’t that, hey, all that got done was the trash got taken out or the oil changed in the car — big whoop. Nope, the point is that when you start taking control in any area of your life, the benefits for you are truly global.

Once you’ve gotten this far, you can take the occasion S.T.O.P: Meaning

Stop what you’re doing

Take stock of your situation and the situation outside of yourself

Orient yourself in the new situation

Proceed

But that’s another blog!

The Proof is in The Pudding!

If you’re stuck with some unpleasant task that you really have to do that you don’t want to, that you’re afraid of failing in, that you don’t understand – do it anyway. The fact that you realize that you have a problem is proof that you can find a solution to it; and the fact that you are doing something positive is part of that solution.